Protective eyewear is well known for a variety of purposes and applications. For example, protective eyewear is utilized in factories as well as other manufacturing facilities to protect a wearer's eyes from injury. Indeed, certain government agencies have regulated that protective eyewear is required to be worn in most areas where manufacturing, assembly, and/or processing occurs. This protective eyewear typically consists of a one piece plastic portion for covering and protecting a wearer's eyes. Some known protective eyewear is intended to be secured to the wearer's head by an elastic strip. Other known protective eyewear is intended to engage a wearer's head by ear supports in the same fashion as do conventional eyeglasses. Most of this protective eyewear is relatively bulky as it is intended to fit over a wearer's normal eyeglasses if present.
Protective eyewear is also utilized to protect a wearer's eyes in sporting events, including women's lacrosse. The protective eyewear utilized for lacrosse typically consists of a frame surrounding an integral cage, which is intended to cover and protect a wearer's eyes. This protective eyewear suffers from various drawbacks, including the fact that it is relatively heavy, can impede a wearer's vision due to the bars of the cage, and is not readily replaceable if any portion of the protective eyewear is damaged.
To date, in some girl's or women's lacrosse organizations, the decision as to whether to wear protective eyewear during play is left up to the individual. However, for the 2005 season, the National Federation of State High School Associations has mandated eye protection for Girl's lacrosse. Therefore, it would be desirous to provide protective eyewear that overcomes some of the drawbacks present with existing protective eyewear. It would also be desirable to provide protective eyewear.